Proactive neighbourhood policing reduces retail crime in South Manchester
Neighbourhood policing teams in Greater Manchester have successfully reduced retail crime in South Manchester through proactive measures, including increased patrols, improved response times, and collaboration with local businesses. Over six months, 238 criminal charges were issued, 33 suspects arrested, 15 custodial sentences secured, and 9 criminal behaviour orders imposed. Chief Inspector Steve Warriner highlighted the effectiveness of criminal behaviour orders in preventing repeat offences. Local retailers, such as Darryl Stuart-Cole from Co-op, noted a significant improvement in safety. PC Phil Williams was recognized for his role in the initiative, which included tackling prolific offenders like Damien Myles, who received a custodial sentence for breaching his order.
Neighbourhood Teams Target Retail Crime in Greater Manchester
Neighbourhood policing teams across Greater Manchester have launched a proactive crackdown on retail crime, focusing on strengthening relationships with local retailers and using evidence-based approaches to hold offenders accountable and prevent repeat thefts.
Officers from the City of Manchester South district’s prevention hub conducted research into retail crime patterns and identified four key retail locations in Withington that were being adversely affected by criminal activity. The team gathered extensive CCTV footage and developed intelligence to identify prolific thieves, noting patterns of offending and improving their response to incidents.
The six-month operation, running from October 2024 to April 2025, has yielded significant results: 238 criminal charges issued, 33 suspects arrested on suspicion of multiple offences relating to retail crime, 15 custodial sentences secured, and 9 criminal behaviour orders implemented.
Chief Inspector Steve Warriner, from GMP’s City of Manchester South district, said: “We are enhancing community safety on our local high streets and working with Manchester City Council to support a safer retail environment for shop workers and customers. We’ve put a problem-solving plan in place which has increased neighbourhood officers patrolling around targeted areas at key times, improved response time to incidents, and underpinned our investigations into repeat offenders.”
Darryl Stuart-Cole, who manages the Co-op store on Mauldeth Road in Withington, appreciates the local neighbourhood team’s efforts and has noticed a significant improvement in recent months. “Local police officers attend the store a couple times a week, and they always contact us or come straight to the store when we’ve logged an incident. It is reassuring to myself and colleagues in the store. It’s also reassuring to the customers in the store; they’ve noticed an increase in police presence around our store and neighbouring shops.”
Police Constable Phil Williams, who was recently awarded ‘Best Officer Problem Solver’ at GMP’s Problem Solving and Prevention Awards, detailed one successful case: “We responded to a report of a repeat shoplifter and after gathering statements and CCTV evidence, we put a case file together. We identified the offender and found he was responsible for at least forty thefts from one shop within a quick succession.”
Damien Myles (11/01/2000) of Wilmslow Road was first sentenced on 3rd January 2025 to a forty-week suspended prison sentence, equivalent to one week for each offence, to be served over two years. He was also ordered to pay compensation to the shop. After breaching his criminal behaviour order within a week by returning to the same store and stealing again, he was sentenced on 6th February 2025 to serve the remainder of his suspended sentence behind bars, plus additional time for new offences including assault, two counts of theft, and two breaches of the criminal behaviour order.
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